In principle, the hardy bluebell or emperor tree (bot. Paulownia) is considered to be quite robust and resistant to many diseases and pests. However, the very tasty leaves are not only interesting for people but also for predators such as snails.
What diseases can affect the bluebell tree?
Bluebell trees can occasionally be affected by fungal diseases and are also popular with snails, which primarily eat the tasty leaves. To protect against damage, careful pruning and pest control without chemicals is recommended.
Snails also like to eat the young shoots. This may make your bluebell tree unsightly over time. Then you should cut it back thoroughly. You don't have to use chemicals straight away to fight the snails. Often it is enough to collect the voracious animals.
Another danger for your bluebell tree is fungal diseases. Fortunately, they don't occur very often. The only thing that helps here is to generously cut off the affected areas (shoots or leaves) so that the fungus cannot spread further. Clean your cutting tool thoroughly to prevent transmission to other plants.
Why isn't my bluebell tree blooming?
There can be different reasons why your bluebell tree isn't blooming. The first reason could be the age of the paulownia, as it only blooms when it is around three to five years old. Since the bluebell tree grows very quickly in the first few years, flowering is often expected sooner.
Another cause of failure to bloom is frost. The buds form in autumn. If the winter is very cold, they freeze to death. Unfortunately, the bluebell tree will not sprout new buds until next fall and you will have to go without the wonderful blooms for a year. The only remedy is protection from the cold or frost-free overwintering of a small tree.
Prune your bluebell tree regularly, making sure to prune before new buds set if possible. A later cut will not harm the tree, but there is a risk of involuntarily removing the flower buds.
The most important things in brief:
- occasionally susceptible to fungal diseases
- Leaves popular with snails
- Reasons for failure to bloom: tree too young, buds frozen, errors in pruning
Tip
If your bluebell tree isn't blooming, it's probably not a disease to blame but a cold winter. Therefore, protect your tree from excessive frost.
